he was adopted in 1980 by Marie Auguste von Anhalt, an elderly German princess, who used such adoptions as a form of income. The transaction was masterminded by "Consul" Hans-Hermann Weyer, a German who pioneered the selling of noble titles, honorary doctorates and other decorations in West Germany . As a result, Hans took the name Frederick Prinz von Anhalt. This does not, however, indicate that he has a noble title, which are extinct in Germany since 1919 . Instead Prinz von Anhalt is his post-adoption surname and carries with it no legal connection as a representative or member of the Anhalt dynasty.
He married Gabor, who is old enough to be his own mother, in 1986 , and despite the odds they appear to be a happy couple. He appears to have taken very good care of her during her recovery from severe injuries sustained from a car accident, and later a stroke.